Governor has a Senate seat to fill, and it’s no easy choice
PHOENIX — Sen. John McCain’s death in office has handed Arizona’s governor an empty Senate seat to fill — and a difficult political puzzle to solve before he does.
Arizona law requires only that Gov. Doug Ducey name a replacement who is a member of McCain’s Republican Party and who will fill the seat until the next general election in 2020. But in a state with a deeply divided Republican Party, where McCain was a towering but divisive figure, the choice is far more complicated.
Ducey is balancing the demands of the many conservative Arizona Republicans who have soured on McCain due to his dovish immigration stance, criticism of President Trump and vote against a rollback of President Barack Obama’s health care law. They are wary of Ducey appointing a moderate. But naming someone with dramatically different views from McCain could be viewed as disrespectful to his legacy, carrying its own risks. In either case, Ducey wants to set the party up to hold the seat two years from now, no easy task given the turmoil in his party.
Ducey spokesman Daniel Ruiz said the appointment will not be made until after McCain’s funeral this weekend.
“Now is a time for remembering and honoring a consequential life well lived,” he said.
The decision is under close scrutiny in Washington. While McCain has been treated for cancer in Arizona and unable to vote in Washington, his party’s already narrow Senate majority had shrunk from two votes to one. With the confirmation of Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, scheduled for next month the GOP needs every reliable vote it can get. Ducey’s office has heard from Vice President Mike Pence’s aides about the choice, a person familiar with the discussions said. The person asked for anonymity.
A day after McCain’s death, political types were buzzing with options. The senator’s wife, Cindy McCain, was viewed as a possibility, as was former Sen. John Kyl and McCain’s former chief of staff, Grant Woods. Another group of former lawmakers and state officials were floated as middle-ground options — including Ducey’s chief of staff Kirk Adams — who might not anger the right wing of the party.
“If he picks someone too far left, we’re going to have a primary in two years,” said Constantine Querard, a conservative Republican strategist.
Ducey himself faces a weak primary challenge from his right in the state’s primary elections Tuesday.
Some observers predict the governor will be solicitous to the McCain family’s wishes. That’s led to speculation that Cindy McCain could be selected, likely under the assumption that she would not run for the seat in 2020. But Cindy McCain’s politics are largely unknown.